The Testament of Ramses III as a historical source. Funeral temple of Ramses III in Medinet Habu. Burial of Ramesses III. Testament to descendants

Setnakht's activities to strengthen the Egyptian state were continued by his son and successor Ramses III. To be able to repel foreign invasions, Ramses III reorganized military affairs. He distributed the entire population of the country into groups “for military service in the infantry and in chariot units.”

Like the kings of the 19th dynasty, he created detachments of mercenaries, recruited mainly among the Libyans and the Aegean tribe of Shardana. Relying on these troops, Ramses III waged wars with the Libyans and the “sea peoples.” This is how he describes his victories: “I expanded all the borders of Egypt. I crushed those who invaded through them from their countries. I defeated the Daniun (sea people) on their islands, and reduced the Takari and Puresati (sea people) to ashes. The Shardans and Uashashis of the sea (sea peoples) ceased to exist. They were captured and taken captive to Egypt, like the sand of the seashore. I settled them in fortresses bound by my name. They were divided into numerous detachments of hundreds of thousands.”

Description of wars and images battle scenes preserved on the walls of a large temple, the ruins of which were discovered by archaeologists in Medinet Habu, near Thebes.

Excavations have shown that near this temple, built by Ramses III, there was a palace that was rebuilt twice. The palace, closely adjacent to the temple, together with it formed a single architectural complex, surrounded by two high walls. Thus, this entire large structure was a powerful fortress. During the era of the beginning of the decline of the Egyptian state, Ramses III, feeling not entirely confident even in his palace, turned it into impregnable fortress.

The time of Ramses III was last period military power of Egypt.

Victories over the Libyans and the Sea peoples somewhat strengthened the shaky authority of Egypt and provided the country with peace and tranquility for a short time. In one inscription, the pharaoh proudly reports that his warriors “could stretch out on their backs without a care in the world. There was no enemy in Nubia or Syria. The bow and weapons lay peacefully in the arsenals, the warriors could eat their fill and drink to their heart's content; their wives and children were with them.”

However, Ramses' victory inscriptions greatly exaggerate the successes of the Egyptian troops. Obviously, it was possible only to some extent to delay the advance of the sea peoples, who drove the Egyptians out of a significant part of their possessions in Syria and Phenicia. Egypt was able to retain only the southern part of Palestine.

Ramesses III - son of Setnakht, second pharaoh of the XX dynasty (1204-1173 BC), throne name Usermaatra-Meriamon. Continued his father's activities to strengthen Egypt . First of all, Ramesses III reorganized the army. He created detachments consisting of foreign mercenaries, mainly Libyans (Keheks) and Sherdens. In addition, under him, every combat-ready Egyptian had to serve in the army. Having a large army, Ramesses III made frequent campaigns of conquest. His victories are described in the Harris papyrus: “I expanded all the borders of Egypt. I overthrew those who invaded them from their lands. I defeated the Denenes on their islands, the Checkers and Philistines were turned into ashes. The Sherdens and Washashis of these overseas were turned into nothingness, captured at once and brought as prey to Egypt, like the sand of the coast. I settled them in the fortress, subduing them in my name... I defeated the tribes of the Sars, Memekhs and Shasu. I plundered their homes, their people, their things and their cattle equally without number, capturing them and bringing them as booty and tribute to Egypt... The Libyans and Mashawash settled in Egypt. They captured the cities of the western coast from Memphis to Kerben. They reached the Great River on both sides of it, and they plundered the city of Xois nome for many years, while they were in Egypt. And so I struck them, destroying them at once."
Ramesses III built an impregnable fortress in Medi-net-Habu, inside of which there was a magnificent temple and a luxurious palace. A canal was dug from the fortress to the Nile, leading to an embankment with a pier. For many years this fortress became the residence of Ramesses III. Despite his victories, the pharaoh apparently did not feel entirely confident in big country, which has long been showing signs of decline. Indeed, in the twenty-ninth year of the reign of Ramesses III, a major uprising broke out in Egypt. It was attended by masons and artisans who worked in the Theban necropolis. The rebels managed to capture two temples. Ramesses III suppressed this uprising with the help of mercenary troops.

Book materials used: Tikhanovich Yu.N., Kozlenko A.V. 350 great. Brief biography of the rulers and generals of antiquity. The Ancient East; Ancient Greece; Ancient Rome. Minsk, 2005.

Ramses IV (III) (throne name - User-maat-Ra-meri-Amon) - pharaoh of the XX dynasty (1204-1173 BC), one of the first Ramessides. According to the numbering of some scholars, he is called Ramesses III, since Ramesses-Siptah of the 19th dynasty (about 1210 BC) is omitted. Ramses IV (III) repelled the attack of the "Sea Peoples" on Lower Egypt. Under Ramesses IV (III), the process of weakening the country continued as a result of the impoverishment of the population and the separatist aspirations of the new nobility. Ramesses IV (III) sought support from mercenaries and the priesthood, which led to huge donations to temples (listed in the so-called Harris Papyrus). He built the mortuary temple of Medinet Habu (near Thebes). The reign of Ramesses IV (III) was filled with popular unrest (shows by artisans). All this led to the military weakening of Egypt. Ramesses IV (III) was killed as a result of a palace conspiracy.

Y. S. Katsnelson. Moscow.

Soviet historical encyclopedia. In 16 volumes. - M.: Soviet Encyclopedia. 1973-1982. Volume 11. PERGAMUS - RENUVEN. 1968.

Literature: From the "Great Harris Papyrus", in the book: Reader on the history of the Ancient East, M., 1963, p. 132-36; Edgerton W. F. and Wilson J. A., Historical records of Ramses III, v. 1-2, Chi., 1936; Drioton B. et Vandier J., L "Egypte, 4 ed., P., 1962 ("Clio". Introduction aux études historiques).

Ramesses III (c. 1194–1162 BC) - the second king of the 20th dynasty, a man of humble origin, the son of the usurper Setnakht. Ramesses III had to face an invasion by the Sea Peoples from the north and the Libyans from the west. He repeatedly won victories and thereby briefly restrained the forces that threatened to destroy Egyptian civilization. Being an ambitious and at the same time rootless man, he tried to imitate Ramesses II. So, he was also actively involved in construction - to the best of his more limited, but still very significant means. The temples at Medinet Habu and Karnak, built on his orders, are the best preserved of all the temple buildings of the pharaonic era. They are decorated with inscriptions and bas-reliefs executed in a manner that became traditional after the reign of Seti I, although there is good reason to believe that some of the “exploits” of Ramesses III were never actually performed.

Towards the end of his reign, unrest began. Troubles even engulfed the court of the pharaoh and his entourage. After 32 years of reign, Ramesses III died suddenly under mysterious circumstances as a result of a harem plot that may have involved one of his wives and one or more of his sons. He was succeeded by Ramesses IV. Most of the Ramsesides from the 20th dynasty who followed him to the throne were weak rulers and were unable to stop the decline of the state.

Materials from the encyclopedia "The World Around Us" were used.

Ramesses III - king Egypt ancient 20th Dynasty, reigned 1184-1153. BC

Ramesses III was the last major conqueror of Ancient Egypt. Outwardly, he bears little resemblance to his great namesake Ramesses II, short and stocky, he diligently imitated him even in small things (he named his children and his horses after the children and horses of Ramesses II and, like him, had with him during campaigns a tame lion that ran behind his chariot ). However, Ramesses III had to not so much wage wars of conquest as defend the state from the mortal danger approaching it: the invasion of the Libyans and the “Sea Peoples.” This was a time of large-scale movement of ethnic groups. Having left the islands and the coast of the Mediterranean Sea, wave after wave of Indo-Aryan tribes rolled into Asia Minor, Syria, Palestine and Egypt. Moreover, not only men took part in the campaigns. They were accompanied by women and children riding on oxcarts. Some of the settlers traveled by sea on sailing ships with their bows and sterns raised up. Along with the Shakalsha (Sikuls?), Sherdani (Sardi?) and Tursha (Etruscans?) already known to the Egyptians since the time of Merneptah, there were also the Philistines, Chakkara, Danuna (Danaans?) and Washasha. The main force was the Philistines and the Chakkaras. It was a formidable force. The “Sea Peoples” defeated and conquered the Hittite power and devastated Cyprus and Syria. Around 1179 BC they attacked Egypt for the first time by land and sea, but were repulsed. (The allies of the “peoples of the sea” were the Libyans, who by this time had populated the western part of the Lower Reaches.) In a bloody battle, Ramesses completely destroyed their hordes, killing more than 12 thousand enemies. In 1176 BC. he invaded Palestine and here he defeated the Sea Peoples in a great land battle. That same year, Pharaoh defeated them in a battle at sea, but the defeated Philistines, with the permission of Pharaoh, settled in Palestine. In 1173 BC, a victory was won over the Libyan tribe of the Maxii. Not limiting himself to defense, Ramses made several long trips to Palestine and Syria, but he could no longer regain these lost possessions. However, the pharaoh still had significant funds, as evidenced by the grandiose buildings of his reign and rich donations to temples. After reigning for 32 years, Ramesses died as a result of a conspiracy arranged by his son Pentaura.

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The pharaoh was killed during a palace coup in 1155 BC. e., but how this happened was not previously known to scientists

CT scans show his neck was cut; death was probably instantaneous. Researchers are also studying the mummy, probably the king's son, Pentawer, buried next to Ramses III: the prince was strangled.

Until now, Egyptologists have constantly argued about how Ramses III died. The second pharaoh of the 20th Dynasty ruled Egypt from 1186 to 1155. BC e. The findings have shed light on the pharaoh's harrowing final moments, more than 3,000 years after his reign was brutally cut short.

The researchers used modern methods forensic science to unravel the thousand-year-old mystery of how Egyptian King Ramses III was killed. Scans of the pharaoh's mummy showed a wide and deep wound on his neck, indicating that the ruler's throat was cut with a sharp blade.

CT scan of Ramses III's neck: the asterisks indicate a deep wound, the arrow indicates where the embalming material penetrated the wound. Photo from tech.sina.com.cn

Documentary sources say that in 1155 BC. e. women from Ramses's harem attempted to commit palace coup to change the order of succession to the throne. The conspiracy was led by Teye, the youngest of his wives, and her son, Prince Pentawer, but it is unclear from the texts whether the conspiracy was successful.

Based on written sources, some researchers say that the king was killed immediately; other experts say that he was only wounded and died later from his injuries.

To resolve the dispute, a team of researchers conducted a forensic examination of the mummy of Ramses III and the unidentified remains of a young man who was buried next to the pharaoh, believed to be Prince Pentawer.

A team of researchers led by Dr. Albert Zink from the Institute of Mummies and Iceman in Bolzano (Italy) carried out anthropological and forensic studies of both bodies.

An unknown mummy found next to the mummy of Ramses. The arrows indicate folds of skin and wrinkles under the lower jaw and neck, suggesting that the man (most likely the son of Ramses III) was strangled. Photo from photobucket.com

Working at the Egyptian Museum in Cairo, where the mummies are now kept, the team carried out the research, analyzing CT scans and DNA tests to determine the cause of death. In addition, it was important to understand whether these deaths were related or not.

It was previously believed that Ramses III was killed in some way that did not leave marks on the body. Among the conspirators were priests who, most likely, were well versed in poisons.

Other scholars suggested that the cause of the king's death was a viper bite, since an amulet was found on his mummy, designed to protect against snakes in the afterlife.

However, scans revealed a deep wound on Ramses III's throat below the larynx, measuring 6.8 centimeters in length. The wound was probably inflicted with a sharp blade. This most likely caused instant death, the researchers said.

The researchers write in the new issue of the British Medical Journal: “The trachea was clearly severed; the proximal and distal sections are cut off and separated by approximately 30 mm. In the seventh cervical vertebra, a small cortical depression was noted on the outer surface of the vertebra. Accordingly, all organs in this region - trachea, esophagus and large blood vessels- were disconnected. The extent and depth of the wound indicate that it caused the instant death of Ramses III."

The neck was covered with a collar of thick linen layers of mummification, which prevented earlier examination of this part of the body.

Dr. Zink said in an interview: “Until now, we knew almost nothing about the fate of Ramses III. Scientists had examined his body before and taken x-rays, but they had not noticed any injury. They didn't have access to the CT scans we did now. We were very surprised by what we found. We still can’t be sure that the Tsar’s throat was cut, but everything points to that.”

Slit Throat: The mummy of King Ramses III is covered in linen bandages, so researchers previously could not notice the wound on the neck. Photo from wikimedia.org

An "Eye of Horus" amulet was also found in the wound, which was likely placed by ancient Egyptian embalmers during the mummification process to promote healing in the afterlife.

Analysis of the young man's body indicated an age of between 18 and 20 years, and general DNA features showed that he was likely the son of Ramses III.

Written documents indicate that Pentawer was involved in a harem plot and was found guilty during a trial, after which he committed suicide. However, the researchers' analysis of the mummy indicates that if this is indeed the body of Pentawer, then he was most likely strangled.

The body was not mummified in the usual way and was covered with "ritually unclean" goatskin - evidence of punishment in the form of a non-royal burial procedure.

“He was treated horribly during the mummification process,” Dr. Zink said.

DNA analysis showed that the two mummies were of the same origin, “giving a high probability that they were father and son,” the researchers said.

The authors believe that the unknown mummy "is a good candidate for being Pentawere," but emphasize that the identity, as well as the cause of death, of this mummified body "remains only a guess."

After the assassination of Ramses III, the reign passed to the king's designated successor - his eldest son Ramses IV.

EGYPT

DYNASTY XX

1 186 – 1 184 BC. Pharaoh ruled in Egypt Setnakht(lit. “Victorious Set”; turn of the 11th-12th centuries BC). According to modern Egyptology, Setnakht ascended the throne after the death of Queen Tausert and was the founder of the 20th dynasty (Ramessides). Perhaps he ruled for some time together with his son, Ramesses III, who later became his successor.

Although his rights to the throne were not so indisputable, he was still one of the most obvious contenders for the royal throne.

Image of Setnakht on the lid of his sarcophagus from tomb KV14

In his activities he relied on the priesthood and contributed to the completion of the next political crisis in the state.

It was traditionally believed that Setnakht reigned for 2 years; it was this year of reign that his stele originating from Elephantine is marked with. However, the longer duration of his reign can be evidenced by inscription No. 271 on Mount Sinai. She suggests that Setnakht was in power for at least 2 years and 11 months, that is, almost 3 full years.

Cartouches of Setnakht (KV14)

Governing body

Setnakht was an energetic and active pharaoh who tried to continue the traditions of Ramesses II the Great and managed to lead Egypt out of another political crisis. He suppressed the uprising of the ruler of the city of Tanis, the Syrian Irsu, strengthened the central government and restored order in the country:
“The people of Egypt lived in exile outside their land. Everyone remaining inside the land needed protection. This went on for many years before other times came. The land of Egypt belonged to princes from foreign places. One killed the other, both noble and small.
Then other times came during the years of famine. One Syrian, Irsu, rose among them as a prince (overlord) and he forced all the people to give him tribute. Whatever was collected by someone was stolen by his (Syrian) companions. That's what they did.
They treated the gods the same way as they treated people. More proper sacrifices were not made to them in the temples.
Then the gods turned this state of affairs into salvation. They gave the country its balance again, as its situation rightly demanded. And they made their son, who came from their body, king of all the earth, on their high throne. This was King Setnakht, beloved of Amon.
He was like the creature of Set when it is angry. He took care of the whole earth. If rebels showed up, he killed the villains who lived in the land of Tamera.
He cleansed the high royal seat of Egypt and so he was the ruler of the inhabitants on the throne of the solar god Atum, raising the face of them (the inhabitants). If people showed up who dissuaded them from recognizing everyone as a brother, they were locked up.
He restored order in the temples, giving sacred revenues for the correct sacrifices to the gods, as befits their statutes." - Large Harris Papyrus

The enemies opposing the pharaoh were rebels within the country who tried to rely on the Sechetiu mercenaries - “Asians” (the Libyans are often mistakenly called Setnakht’s enemies in modern literature). To strengthen public order and central government, Setnakht used the influence of the priesthood, attracting it to his side by gifting him with various property. He especially favored the Theban priests - he restored them to their former authority and great land holdings, in one of his names (Userhaura Setepenra Meriamon Setnakht Mereramon), he is twice called the favorite of Amon, the main deity of the city of Thebes. Setnakht became famous for the usurpation of numerous buildings erected by his predecessors, and he is also believed to have built two chapels at Set Maat (modern Deir el-Medina). In addition, it is known that he destroyed all memory of Pharaoh Saptah and Queen Tausert, erasing their cartouches from all monuments where they were placed.
Probably, for some period, Setnakht ruled jointly with his son, Ramses III, Setnakht's subsequent successor on the throne of Egypt.

“Stele of the Priest of Bakenkhonsu” is a well-preserved quartzite stele found in Luxor, its dating has changed ideas about the duration of the reign of Pharaoh Setnakht. At the top of the stele, Setnakht is represented wearing a khepresh head scarf, kneeling before the god Amun-Ra. Pharaoh offers the god the feather of justice, while the goddess Mut, standing in the background, raises left hand, as a symbol of protection and holds the key of life in the right. Next are 17 lines of hieroglyphic text, and in the lower right corner is Bakenkhonsu himself, the high priest of Amun-Ra, dressed in religious robes and praying.

Tomb KV14, sarcophagus of Setnakht

1,184 – 1,153 BC e. Pharaoh ruled in Egypt Ramses III.

Ramesses III on a fresco from the tomb of one of his sons in the Valley of the Queens

Ramses III understood the precariousness of his position and tried to imitate Ramses II the Great. So, he gave his children the same names that the children of Ramses the Great bore. IN vernacular Ramses III was called Ramses-pa-nuter, from which the Greeks made the famous Rampsinitis. Ramses-pa-nuter means “Ramses the God” and this nickname is found in some places on monuments.

While still heir to the throne, Ramesses took a prominent part in governing the country. Ramesses III ascended the throne on the 26th day of the first month of the season of Shemu (that is, Drought). By this time, in all likelihood, he was already over thirty, and his family included several children. Of course, Ramesses III owed his relatively calm and fruitful reign entirely to Setnakht, who was able to realize the dreams of a new dynasty on the shaky ground of anarchy that ceased the existence of the house of Ramesses the Great. Unlike his predecessors, he did not leave a single document dating from the first year of his reign, in which many kings began their active work. Dated sources from his reign are not particularly common; the only exceptions in this sense are the colossal archive of Deir el-Medina and the monuments of major officials. In the 5th and 15th years of the pharaoh's reign, special trips were organized by the king to inspect the condition of the country's numerous temple complexes. Between these events are three large military inscriptions, telling about important foreign policy events, the consequences of which affected the entire life of the Nile Valley. The end of the wars occurs in the 11th year of the reign of Ramesses III.
Documents relating to the second half of the reign are rather monotonous: religious texts and decrees in favor of Amun, dated from the 16th and 20th years of his reign, have been preserved at Karnak. In the text of a stela from Memphis from the 24th year of his reign, there is a mention of the establishment of the cult of Ramesses III, which existed almost from the time of his accession. The rare royal monuments that remain dated are more than compensated by countless documents from Deir el-Medina, which perhaps indicates growing unrest in this community, leading to some kind of rebellion in the 29th year of the king's reign.

The reign of Ramesses III was the last significant period of the rise of Egyptian statehood during the era of the New Kingdom. This thirtieth anniversary was marked by new military events and colossal temple construction. The era of turbulent inter-dynastic events and revolutions has passed, Egypt, which managed to preserve its fundamental wealth, again entered the heyday of royal power in last time throughout its three thousand year history.

Military companies

The grandiose triumphal reliefs of the Temple of Medinet Habu mention three important dates associated with the military campaigns of Ramesses III: the 5th, 8th and 11th years of the reign of the pharaoh. Each date appears at the beginning of a long inscription, consisting mainly of the names of enemy peoples defeated by Egyptian troops. The military campaigns of the 5th and 11th years were associated with the Libyan uprisings; the events of the military campaign of the 8th year became a continuation of the Merneptah military campaign against the “peoples of the sea.” The sources also contain references to the Nubian and Syrian military companies of Ramesses III, but any specific information about them and dates are absent in the texts about the Syrian military company from Karnak and Medinet Habu.

Defeat of the Libyans in the 5th year of reign

In the 5th year of Ramesses' reign, Egypt was invaded from the west by the Libyans, led by their king Termer. The Libyan invasion was significantly larger in size than the one repelled by Merneptah a quarter of a century ago. The Harris Papyrus narrates: “The Chehenu (Libyans) are on the move, they are hiding. They gathered, a countless number of them came together, including the Libu, Sepeda and Mashaush, all gathered and rushed against Egypt.” It was an entire union of Libyan tribes, which included the population of the lands of Chemehu, Lebu and Meshauash, close to them. The large inscription of the 5th year at Medinet Habu is the main source narrating the events that took place. The Lebu are mentioned most often, as in the Harris papyrus, while peoples mentioned in other sources, such as the Cepedo, are omitted altogether. In the scene of the king presenting the spoils of a military campaign, the four types of captives he brings are named only as Lebu. It is interesting that, acting together with the Libyans, the inscription of the 5th year unexpectedly mentions two peoples included in the conglomerate of “peoples of the sea”: the Pelasgians and the Zakars. The inscriptions of the names of these peoples are determined by the hieroglyphs of a man and a woman, which emphasized that it was not so much about warriors, but about a whole people. Nothing is known about their origins, except that they were not among the peoples with whom Merneptah fought.

Ramses is a warrior. Scene of the first pylon of the Medinet Habu temple - the pharaoh driving away the enemies of Egypt

As at Merneptah, the military clash was preceded by the gradual penetration of the Libyans into Lower Egypt. One way or another, by the time unrest was brewing among these peoples, the first detachments of Libyan soldiers stood on those lines where Merneptah had once stopped them. The general battle took place near the fortress of Ramses, named Hesef-Thamkhu. During a stubborn battle, the Egyptians managed to defeat the Libyan troops. The defeat of the Libyan troops was terrible - 12,535 hands cut off from the dead were brought to the pharaoh as war trophies of the day. At least the Egyptians captured a thousand Libyan soldiers. The victory over the Libyans is reflected in the reliefs on north side temple in Medinet Habu. The first relief shows how the Egyptian army is preparing to meet the Libyan attack. In front of the pharaoh are depicted foreign mercenary warriors, Egyptian warriors, chariots, who make up the majority of the pharaoh's army. Ramesses III rides in his chariot with a blue battle crown on his head. Next scene on the left. Libyan coalition troops are defeated by Egyptian forces in the chaotic chaos of the battle. Ramesses is depicted in a fortress nearby. Captured Libyan soldiers pass on the right. At the same time, scribes make notes on the hands of killed enemy soldiers.

Reflection of the invasion of the “Sea Peoples” in the 8th year of reign

Reflecting the invasion of the “peoples of the sea”. Drawing of the relief of the Medinet Habu temple

The second attack of the "Sea Peoples", simultaneously from land and sea, occurred in the eighth year (about 1,175 BC) of the reign of Pharaoh Ramses III.

By this time, the “Sea Peoples” had already captured the Syrian cities of Ugarit and Alalakh. The navy of the Sea Peoples captured Cyprus and many coastal cities. After the conquest of the Hittite Empire, the “Sea Peoples” moved towards Egypt, leaving behind burned and devastated cities.

The alliance of the “peoples of the sea” included: Pelesets - Pelasgians/Philistines (they settled in one of the regions of Canaan, known as Palestine); Checkers who lived in Cyprus at the end of the 13th century. BC (one tribe of Cheykers went to the shores of the Mediterranean Sea near the city of Dera, south of Mount Carmel, where they lived 100 years later, the other part of the Cheykers settled in Cyprus); the Tursha-Tirsenes made long voyages and arrived in the North. Italy, they became the ancestors of the Etruscans; Sherdana - Sardinians reached Sardinia and gave it their name; the ancient people of the Sheclesh-Siculs called Sicily by their name; Danaan Greeks.

Written sources and images on Egyptian reliefs indicate that the “Sea Peoples” arrived in Egypt with their families, livestock and property loaded onto ships and ox-carts. These attacks were a clear attempt to forcibly seize foreign lands in order to settle on them. They planned to develop the areas they were going to conquer. This behavior was the result of large-scale famine in the "islands of the sea."

Ramses III great energy began to prepare to repel the invasion of enemies. He strengthened the eastern border by building a fortress there named after him. He assembled a fleet, which he distributed throughout the northern harbors. “I established my border fortification in Jahi (region of Phenicia), it was erected even before the mouth of the Nile with military ships, galleys and barges I made similar powerful wall" Having collected a large land army, Ramesses personally went to Syria to lead the campaign. During a fierce battle in Phenicia, Ramses managed to stop the victorious march of the “peoples of the sea” and throw them back. In the same year, the Egyptians defeated the enemy’s naval forces in Rohaut (Konop River).
The events of this military campaign are divided into seven episodes on the northern wall at Medinet Habu. The first scene, to the right of the last scene depicting the First Libyan War, shows Ramesses III overseeing the distribution of weapons to Egyptian soldiers. The next scene reflects the details presented in the previous scene. Then the battle in Phenicia is depicted. Ramesses III is depicted in a solemn manner, being the main figure in the scene, he pulls the bow string. In this episode, the Egyptian troops are victorious over the forces of the Sea Peoples. An interesting aspect of this scene is that in the highest register and in the middle of the landscape there are oxen with carts. Each cart is harnessed by four oxen pulling it. The Egyptians violently attack these carts, some of which contain women and children.
There are a number of interesting scenes that at first seem inappropriate to the theme - Ramesses III hunting lions. Apparently, these scenes symbolize the forces of order - the pharaoh and his army - against the forces of chaos, that even wild lions bowed before the pharaoh. On the outer rear of the southern pylon there is a similar symbolic scene representing Ramesses hunting a wild bull.

The sea battle is presented in the next scene. Ramesses III is again presented as a central figure. He stands on the bodies of defeated opponents, again reinforcing the symbolic gesture of Egyptian dominance. On the left is an Egyptian military man navy with armed warriors against the fleet of the sea peoples. At the bottom of this scene, Egyptian soldiers are leading away captives. Ramses III tells us: “And those who invaded from the sea were met at the mouth of the Nile by a terrible flame [of royal wrath]: a fence of spears surrounded them on the coast, they were pulled out of the water, surrounded and stretched out on the shore, killed and turned into a heap of corpses.” . In the next scene, prisoners are brought to Ramesses III, and then the pharaoh appears before the god Amun.
Two tribes from among the “peoples of the sea” - the Pelasgians and Zakaras, later known as the Philistines, apparently, with the consent of the pharaoh, settled on the fertile Palestinian coast, where they created a union of five self-governing cities: Gaza, Ascalon, Ekron (Ekron), Gath and Ashdod

Captured Sea Peoples warriors

War with the Libyans in the 11th year of reign

As soon as the “invasion of the Sea Peoples” was stopped, new unrest began on the western borders of the Egyptian state in the 11th year of the pharaoh’s reign. This time, among the Libyan warriors, it was not Lebu who prevailed, but representatives of the Meshauash people, led by King Machar, the son of King Kapoor. The Libyans approached the Egyptian fortress of Hacho and besieged it. Ramses III also arrived here with the main army. In the battle that took place, the Libyans were defeated and fled, losing 2,175 soldiers killed and over 2 thousand captured (one third of the latter were women and children). The Mashahuash king Meshesher, as well as five other Libyan leaders, were also captured. In addition, the Egyptians captured significant quantities of cattle, horses, donkeys and many weapons.
However, the Libyan threat was never completely eliminated. Simultaneously with the creation of pompous inscriptions in honor of the victorious pharaoh, in fear of a military threat, a 15 m high wall is being built around the temple of Thoth in Hermopolis, similar work is being carried out in the temple of Osiris in Abydos, in the sanctuary of Upuat in Assiut. Facts say that the pharaoh feared an enemy invasion not only in the Nile Delta, but also in Middle Egypt. Parallel to the Nile Valley from Hermopolis to Abydos lived the tribes of Chehennu, one of the peoples that were part of the Nine Bows conglomerate. The victories of Ramesses III pacified the Libyans only for a while. The threat from the west again worried Egypt already in the 28th year of the reign of Ramesses III.

Campaigns against the nomads of Palestine, Syria and Nubia

One more battle, in addition to the wars with the “Sea Peoples” and the Libyans, is mentioned in the Harris papyrus. Ramesses also waged war in Edom, south of Dead Sea, against the nomadic Shasu peoples who lived near Mount Saara (biblical Seir), where rich military booty was taken. While this campaign may have been a defensive measure undertaken to repel the nomadic tribes neighboring Palestine, the invasion of the kingdom of Amurru and the former possessions of the Hittite kingdom in Syria pursued conquest goals. Brief information about these events is available in Medinet Habu and Karnak, where the reliefs depict the capture of one of the enemy fortresses by the pharaoh's army. Two names have been preserved in the texts: the city of Irchu and the “Hittite Tunip”.
However, meager records do not tell us the full picture of this military campaign. It is known that Ramesses III took at least 5 fortified cities in Syria, and also built new fortresses there. At one point in Syria, the temple of Amon was also built, in which a large image of the main god of Egypt was placed. It is possible that the pharaoh penetrated very far to the northeast, but was unable to consolidate his conquests in Syria. The wars waged by Ramesses III create the impression that from now on Egypt has to defend its own territory. It seems that the “Asian Empire” was already forgotten during the 20th Dynasty. Egyptian garrisons are still present in Syria and Palestine, however, their influence here has become minimal, and Egyptian monuments from this time are very rare. Apparently, Ramesses III was the last pharaoh under whom at least some kind of Egyptian presence in Palestine remained.
In Nubia, under Ramses III, practically nothing noteworthy was accomplished. The relief scene at Medinet Habu shows the pharaoh attacking a group of Nubians, however there is no evidence that Ramesses III ever carried out such a campaign. Many historians agree that this is simply an example of the glorification of the pharaoh, asserting his right to rule. In Nubia, only royal names were discovered carved on the monuments of previous kings and the steles of the “royal son of Kush” Hori I, the son of Kam, who received this position under Saptah, who probably erected part of the temple in Kuban on behalf of his king. Two statues of the pharaoh were once erected at Qasr Ibrim. Currently all that remains of them is Bottom part. Hori I was succeeded by his son, Hori II, who served as governor of Nubia under Ramesses IV.
The triumphal texts of Medinet Habu conclude with a list of more than 250 names of peoples and localities, most of which are not identified. Besieged by enemies in his own country, Ramesses III adequately repelled the invasion, but the Egyptian warrior could no longer march victoriously on the banks of the Orontes and Euphrates, as he had once done. Characteristic documentation of the era of Ramesses III - pomp and absence of such important specific information.

Expedition to Punt

By order of Ramesses III, an expedition was made to the country of Punt, mentioned in the Harris papyrus: “I (Ramesses III) built great boats and ships in front of them with numerous teams, many accompanying them, their captains with them, observers and warriors to command them. They were filled with countless Egyptian goods, ten thousand of each type. They were sent into the great sea with waters flowing backwards, they arrived in the country of Punt, they had no failures, (arriving) safe, inspiring horror. The boats and ships were filled with the goodness of God's Country, from the amazing things of this country: the beautiful myrrh of Punta, incense in the tens of thousands, without counting. The children of the ruler of God’s Country arrived before their tribute prepared for Egypt...” On the way back, the ships landed on the Red Sea coast in the area where the road to the city of Koptos began; there, goods were reloaded onto Nile ships heading north to Per Ramses. The path to the country of Punt, known to the ancient Egyptians since the Old Kingdom, lay through Wadi Hammamat along the Red Sea. The most precious gift of Punt - incense trees brought by the soldiers of Ramesses III, are depicted in the treasury of the Medinet Abu temple. Among other goods brought from Punt, the Egyptians noted ebony, bone, gems, gold, rare animals.

Nobles of the Court

We know practically nothing about outstanding personalities, who would have been contemporaries of Ramesses III. Two nobles are known who held the post of vizier under him. The first, Hori, assumed this position under Saptah. He managed to survive the turmoil late XIX dynasties. In the 10th year of the reign of Ramses III, he was replaced by a certain Ta, first mentioned in sources in the 16th year of the king's reign. In the 29th year of the reign of Ramesses Ta, being both the vizier of the North and the vizier of the South, is mentioned in the case of unrest in the village of Deir el-Medina; At the same time, he participated in the preparation of the king's seid festival, delivering statues of gods from Upper Egypt to Memphis, the site of the ceremony. After the 29th year all mentions of Ta disappear. Since in the first year of the reign of Ramesses IV the duties of the vizier were performed by the high priest of Amun, and the vizier himself appeared only in the second year of the reign of the new king, it can be assumed that for some reason the post of the second person in the state remained vacant for several years.
The ruler of Thebes, Paser, is famous for the chapel he built, the blocks of which were used in the restoration of the western tower of Medinet Habu. The high priest of Amon was first Bakenkhonsu, who held this position under Setnakht, and then Usermaatranakht and his brother (?) Ramsesnakht. The growing independence of the power of the temple of Amun in Karnak and the strengthening of the vizier's influence on state affairs are confirmed by the text of the Harris papyrus (59.10 - 60.1), which tells about the punishment of the vizier who intervened, against the will of the king, in the internal affairs of the temple of Horus in Athribis.
The king is surrounded by a huge number of “cupbearers”, as is known, in most cases of Asian origin. It was they who predominated among the judges who participated in the trial of the conspiracy against Ramesses III; among the conspirators themselves, their colleagues also predominated.
Nubia, as already mentioned, came under the rule of a family from Bubastis, several of whose representatives bore the name of Hori. From the same city, and perhaps even from the same family, came Iroi, the high priest of Bastet, who participated in a conspiracy against the king and was executed; he was succeeded by his son - also Hori.

Construction activities

Proof of the temporary strengthening of the power is the huge memorial temple of Ramesses III on the western bank of Thebes, dedicated to Amon and now known as the Temple of Medinet Habu. This luxurious stone structure also served as a monument to the royal victories. Even if in terms of size and richness of decoration it was inferior to the gigantic buildings of Amenhotep III and Ramses II, it nevertheless clearly shows what resources the New Kingdom had at its disposal even on the eve of its fall. The temple and surrounding buildings are planned in the form of a rectangle, bounded by a thick fortress-type wall with complex fortified gates. A canal was dug from the Nile to the temple, leading to an embankment with a pier. Adjacent to the temple was a palace, from the window of which the pharaoh appeared to those present in the temple courtyard. The doors of the temple, the huge temple columns supporting the canopy in front of the palace, its jambs and gates were lined with gold. The temple owned arable land and gardens, it had its own ships, and the king supplied it with slaves. Upper and Lower Egypt, Palestine and Nubia had to pay him taxes. The size of the temple property can be judged by the fact that there were over 60 thousand people near the temple.
The rest of the temples built by Ramesses mostly perished. A small sanctuary of Amun in Karnak, several small additions to the Karnak temple, and a temple of the goddess Mut are known. The temple of the god Khonsu was just begun by Ramesses. He also showed his construction activity in Memphis and Heliopolis, building small sanctuaries there.
In the Atek desert, on the Sinai Peninsula, a huge amount of copper was mined, which was transported to Egypt both by land and by sea. On the same Sinai Peninsula, in the turquoise desert in Serabit el-Khadim, an expedition sent there produced a large amount of turquoise. This event is mentioned in the Harris Papyrus: “I sent nobles and officials to the land of turquoise, to my mother, Hathor, mistress of turquoise. They brought for her silver, gold, royal linen, simple linen, and also many things, countless like sand to her monastery. And so, they brought me wonderful real turquoise in many bags; they were brought in my presence. Nothing like this has been done since the time of the kings.” A stele from the 23rd year of the reign of Ramesses III, discovered in Sinai, contains the title of the king and the praise of Hathor, the lady of turquoise, which fully confirms this fact.

Weakening of royal power

Rise of the Priesthood

But, despite these successes, during the reign of Ramses the process of weakening the country continues. Yielding to the pressure of the priesthood, whose support was necessary in difficult times for the country, Ramses freed the temples from the conscription duty of their workers (conscription of every tenth person into the army). This forced Ramesses to include mercenaries (Sherdans, Libyans, Philistines and others) in his army on an immeasurably larger scale than before. During his reign, Ramesses distributed to the temples 107 thousand people (2% of the total population of Egypt), about 3 thousand km² of arable land (15% of all cultivated land in the country), 500 thousand heads of cattle, not counting many other offerings, annual supplies and gifts.

Strike in Deir el-Medina

Great gifts and privileges to churches, which increasingly began to oppose themselves to the central government, the maintenance of a diminished but still large army, exhausting wars, the arbitrariness of the local administration - all this led to a sharp deterioration in the internal situation of the country, to the impoverishment of the state treasury. This treasury, one day, in the 29th year of his reign, was so empty that it was not possible to issue allowances to the artisans and employees of the royal necropolis in the village of Deir el-Medina on time. Driven to despair by hunger, people openly opposed the supreme power. Here is what excerpts from the Turin diary of this movement tell: “29 years, 10 of the second month of the Peret season. The breach of the five walls of the Necropolis by workers who shout: “We have been hungry for the 18th day.” They sat down at the back of the temple of Thutmose III. The secretaries of the Necropolis prison, two chiefs of workers, two quartermasters appeared and shouted: “Come back.” And they swore: “Come back, we have Pharaoh’s grain: it is stored there in the Necropolis.” The workers obeyed, but were probably deceived; under the next day it is written: “New breach. Reaching the southern part of the Temple of Seti II." On the third day, the former persons and military authorities came to them for negotiations, but the workers did not want to talk to them. The priests were called; the workers told them: “We left here because of hunger and thirst. We have no clothes, no oil, no fish, no food. Write about this to Pharaoh, our gracious master, so that we can be given the opportunity to exist.” The officials were afraid of the appeal to the pharaoh and gave the workers the salary for the previous month; they obviously intended to appropriate it. But the unrest did not stop there. The very next day, a riot began in the Necropolis fortress. “Pechor said: “Go away and take your tools with you, break down the doors, take your wives and children; I will go before you to the temple of Thutmose III and plant you there.” However, a month later, new unrest occurred for the same reasons. The chronicle notes: “Passing through the walls, stopping work in the Necropolis. Three garrison officers appeared to fetch the workers. Then the worker said to Mesu: “In the name of Amun, in the name of the king, I will not be forced to work today.” The officials responded: “He cannot be punished, he swore in the name of Pharaoh.” The authorities could not do anything about the workers: they persisted and mocked the officials. Visir Ta was absent at the time; he accompanied the pharaoh to the south, "to the gods southern country so that they would be brought for the anniversary celebration” (this happened shortly before the thirtieth anniversary of the reign of Ramesses III); nevertheless, on the 28th day of the fourth month of the season, he sent Peret to Thebes and ordered a strange message to be read: “If I have not come to you, is it because I have nothing to bring you? As for your speech: “don’t steal our supplies,” was that why I was appointed vizier to steal? It's not my fault. There’s nothing even in the bins, but I’ll still give you what I can find.” The workers were indeed given half rations; they calmed down, but then began to rebel again. The end of the papyrus has not survived.

Conspiracies against Ramesses III

Today it is difficult to answer the question whether there was some connection between the social crisis, the end of the career of Vizier Ta and the conspiracy against Ramesses III. We know about this conspiracy, one of the most famous in all of ancient Egyptian history, primarily from the text of the Turin Legal Papyrus, which contains a partial account of the case and the verdict of the judges. These materials are supplemented by information from another scroll, now divided into two documents - the Li papyrus and the Rollin papyrus, which tell of the magical acts performed by the conspirators. The text of the Rifo papyrus also clarifies that the king against whom the conspiracy was plotted was Ramesses III.
The introduction of the Turin Papyrus represents the speech of the king himself, instructing the judges who will try the case; at the same time, the king is presented as if he were already in another world among the gods. It's about about a text that was certainly created, like the Harris papyrus, already under Ramesses IV, acting as the executor of his father’s last will. This fact confirms the hypothesis that the conspirators’ intentions were successfully implemented. “I (that is, Ramesses III) commanded the head of the treasury Montuemtaui, the head of the treasury Paifert, the standard bearer Kara, the butler Pabes, the butler Kedenden, the butler Baalmahar, the butler Pairsun, the butler Dzhutirekhnefer, the royal rapporteur Penrenut, the scribe of the archive Mai, the scribe of the archive Paraemhebu, the standard bearer Tsu Infantry Hoi : “As for the speeches made by these people, I don’t know them. Go and interrogate them." They went and they interrogated them and they put to death at their own hands those whom they put to death - I (them) do not know, (and they) punished others - I (them) also do not know. Commanded (I firmly): “Beware, beware of mistakenly punishing the person (age) ... who is above him.” So I told them again and again. As for everything that was done, it is they who did it, and let everything that they did fall on their heads, for I am freed and protected throughout eternity, for I am among the righteous kings who before Amon-Ra, the king of the gods, and before Osiris, the ruler of eternity."

Despite the fact that we know quite little about the events that actually took place, from the text of the sources it becomes clear that at the head of the conspiracy was a queen named Teye and her son, referred to in the report as Pentaur (“Who was called by another name”), although his real name Again, we don't know. The conspiracy quickly spread in the king's women's house (harem). As a result, Queen Teye wanted to place her son on the throne, who, apparently, had no rights to this. The legitimate heir to the throne, the future Ramesses IV, is mentioned as the sole contender for the throne already from the 22nd year of his father's reign, appearing in the texts together with his brother, the future Ramesses VI. Probably, such certainty aroused envy and jealousy on the part of the secondary wives and their children, who created the basis for the conspiracy.
The ladies of the royal house were supported by many high dignitaries - twenty-two people in total. One of the central roles in what happened was played by the manager of the pharaoh's palace Paibakikamen, he was assisted by the butler Mesedsura, the heads of the harem Paininuk and Patauemdiamon, and other noble people. Together with the queen, they began to send inflammatory letters to other ladies of the women's house. Of particular interest is the way in which the criminals tried to destroy the king - they resorted to witchcraft, making “magic scrolls to hinder and intimidate” and making “gods and people from wax to weaken human bodies.”
But after the murder of Ramesses, the conspirators failed to make their protege king. They were captured along with the prince and his mother and put on trial.
It is interesting to note that, apparently, during the investigation the names of the suspects were changed. Thus, the name Paibakikamen means “Behold, the blind servant,” the name Mesedsura means “Ra hates him,” and the name Binemuas means “Abomination in Thebes.” Undoubtedly, the names of these people before the tragic ending were “Good in Thebes” and “Ra loves him” - but they lost the right to them.
After some time, several members of the tribunal escaped along with the conspirators. When they were found, a terrible punishment awaited them - their noses and ears were cut off. Nothing is known about the fate of the heart of the conspiracy - Queen Teye.
Describing the execution of the main attackers, the scribe uses rather strange expressions: “they left him in place; he killed himself.” This could mean that, following a court order, the criminals committed suicide on their own. However, careful examination of the mummy found in Deir el-Bahri and known as the “Nameless Prince” gives rise to a more dramatic guess. The remains belonged to a man of thirty, well built and without any blemishes, who was buried without the obligatory embalming. Moreover, the body was wrapped in raw sheep skin, ritually unclean for the Egyptians. All internal organs remained in place. Never before had a face reflected such painful and terrible agony. The distorted features of the unfortunate man indicate that he was almost certainly buried alive.

Burial of Ramesses III. Testament to descendants

Ramesses III died at the beginning of the 32nd year of his reign - on the 14th day of the third month of the Shemu season in Thebes, since the news of the death of the pharaoh and the ascension to the throne of Ramesses IV reached Deir el-Medina on the 16th of the same month.

Statues of Ramesses III in the temple at Medinet Habu.

The king was buried in a spacious tomb (KV11) in the Valley of the Kings, the construction of which was begun by Setnakht. The tomb was opened in ancient times, as evidenced by graffiti on its walls. Although the first three corridors were built by Setnakht, the nearby side chambers were finished by Ramesses himself. During the construction of the third corridor, the roof of Amenmes's tomb was broken through. As a result, the axis of the tomb of Ramesses III was moved slightly to the right. The passage led through the fourth corridor, the false shaft room, the first columned hall, two halls preceding the burial chamber to the burial chamber itself, where the sarcophagus was located. Four side chambers and a final corridor completed the tomb. The superbly preserved reliefs of the tomb are excellent.
The superb stone sarcophagus of Seti II was usurped by Ramesses III. In the magnificent anthropomorphic wooden sarcophagus of Ramesses III, decorated with images of goddesses and the four sons of Horus, the body of Amenhotep III was discovered in the secret tomb of Amenhotep II. Five ushebti of the king are known, stored in London, Turin, Louvre and Durham. The royal mummy was found in the hiding place of Deir el-Bahri inside the huge sarcophagus of Queen Ahmes-Nefertari. Judging by his mummy, Ramses was a short man (his height is 1.68 m), but stocky.
In memory of his deeds, Ramesses III left a will to his descendants. The final part of the Harris papyrus is dedicated to the last will of the pharaoh, who wanted to see a legitimate heir on his throne, listing all his good deeds performed for the glory of his ancestors and for the instruction of future generations.
“...I covered the whole earth with green orchards and allowed the people to rest in their shade. I gave it to the woman of Egypt to go without fear to the place where she wants, without being encroached upon by strangers or anyone on the way. I allowed the army and charioteers to remain idle in my time, and the Sherdens and Keheks remained in their cities resting in idleness. They did not feel fear, for there were no riots in Syria and no battles in Kush. Their bows and their weapons rested peacefully in their warehouses, while they were fed and drank with joy. Their wives were with them, and their children were with them. They did not look back (out of concern). Their hearts are happy, for I was with them, protecting and guarding them. I fed the whole country: be it foreigners, be it the Egyptian people, men and women. I rescued a man from his troubles, and I gave him breath. I saved him from a strong man, more influential than him. I allowed all people to live in peace in their cities... I doubled the supply of the country, whereas before it was poor. The country was well-fed during my reign. I did good deeds, both for gods and for people... I spent my reign on earth as the ruler of both Lands, and you (were) slaves at my feet and I did not trample on you.
You were pleasing to my heart, in accordance with your useful deeds, and you zealously carried out my commands and instructions.
And so, I rested in the necropolis, like my father Ra. I united with the Ennead of gods in heaven, on earth and in the afterlife. Amon-Ra established my son on my throne. He accepted my rank as ruler of both lands safely, sitting on the throne of Horus... Usermaatra Setepenamon, may he be alive, safe and sound, heir of Ra from his flesh, Ramses Hekamaat Meriamon...”

Ramses reigned for 31 years and 40 days.

Following the established tradition, I am reviewing the next task of the MCTF Information Security Olympiad. This time we will write an exploit for a server application written in Python in an organized manner.

It is well known that an exploit is computer program, a piece of software code or a sequence of commands that exploit vulnerabilities in software and are used to carry out an attack on a computer system. The goal of the attack is to seize control of the system or disrupt its correct operation (from) the wiki.

The server code in Python with a somewhat strange protocol implementation is offered as a test subject. You can familiarize yourself with the application code, then I will comment on its most striking fragments. But first of all, we need to install it on the local machine for thoughtful dissection. So

Running server.py file on Ubuntu

In general, there are no special pitfalls here, Python is included in all distributions everywhere, but here SUDDENLY the little-known mmh3 library is used (about the trick that it puts).
Unfortunately, the ubuntu distribution does not have it, so we install it from the source code
sudo apt-get install python-pip sudo apt-get install python-dev sudo python -m pip install mmh3
As a result, the sources of this module are downloaded and compiled, after which the server can be started with the command
python server.py
In addition, for error-free operation of the server, you need to put the flag.txt file in its working directory and the plug-in module ../file_handler.py in the directory above.

In general, the goal of the tasks in this Olympiad is to find certain “flags”. Thus, the purpose of hacking server.py is to read the contents of the flag.txt file, which is located in the same directory as the server executable file.